Michigan
Louisville
Wolverines Head to Tar Heel State for Fourth Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge
2/12/2019 4:08:00 PM | Softball
» No. 17 Michigan will participate in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the fourth straight season, traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this weekend for two games apiece against Louisville and host UNC.
» The Wolverines own a 9-3 record in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games.
» Michigan's freshmen starred in the team's opening weekend; Lexie Blair led the Wolverines with a .412 batting average, while RHP Alex Storako posted a 3-1 record with a .167 opposing average.
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sun., Feb 15-17 -- ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Chapel Hill, N.C.) Tournament Central
Friday, Feb. 15 -- vs. Louisville, 1:30 p.m.
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Friday, Feb. 15 -- at North Carolina, 4 p.m.
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Saturday, Feb. 16 -- vs. Louisville, 12:30 p.m.
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Sunday, Feb. 17 -- at North Carolina, 12:30 p.m.
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Update: Due to forecasted inclement weather in Chapel Hill, Michigan's Saturday and Sunday schedule has changed. U-M will now play Louisville at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 16) and host North Carolina at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 17).
The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan softball team (3-2) will return to the road for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge this weekend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Wolverines kick off the tournament with two games on Friday (Feb. 15), taking on Louisville at 1:30 p.m., before facing host North Carolina at 4 p.m. Michigan will play the Tar Heels again at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 16) before wrapping the weekend with a 12:30 p.m. slate against Louisville on Sunday (Feb. 17). All games will be held at UNC's Anderson Stadium.
• Michigan will play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the fourth straight season and carries a 9-3 record through its last three appearances. U-M previously traveled to the Tar Heel State for the 2017 event hosted in Raleigh, North Carolina, where it took two games against NC State and split against Notre Dame. The Wolverines went 2-2 last year, splitting two games each against Notre Dame and eventual NCAA champion Florida State.
• Michigan owns an 18-3 advantage in the all-time series against Louisville, as a regular participant its annual spring tournament, but has not faced the Cardinals since 2014 -- a 9-1, six-inning win for the Wolverines in Louisville. More recently, Michigan played in the 2016 Louisville Softball Classic, posting a 2-0 record before the final day, including U-M's scheduled slate against the home team, was canceled due to rain.
• The Wolverines are 9-1 all-time against North Carolina and have won each of the last five meetings, including an 11-6 decision in the most recent matchup at the 2016 Judi Garman Classic.
• Michigan started slow at the plate in the USF Opening Weekend Invitational (Feb. 8-10), batting just .159 over the first three games -- albeit against a pair of top-10 opponents -- but improved significantly with a combined .377 average in its final two of the weekend. U-M posted 26 hits, including five for extra bases, and scored 21 runs against USF and Illinois State to close the weekend.
• Freshman outfielder Lexie Blair led the Wolverines with a .412 average (7-for-17) over their opening weekend, including a stellar four-hit effort in the weekend finale vs. Illinois State. It was the first Michigan four-hit effort since junior Madison Uden went 4-for-4 against FAMU last season (March 11, 2018). Blair combined for four runs scored and two RBI over the final two games against the Redbirds and host South Florida.
• Three Wolverines hit .400 or better over the Opening Weekend Invitational. Senior second baseman Faith Canfield matched Blair with a .412 (7-for-17) effort, while sophomore shortstop Natalia Rodriguez batted .400 (6-for-17) from the No. 9 spot.
• Senior catcher Katie Alexander knocked out two home runs and led the Wolverines with eight RBI over the first weekend. She posted a seventh-inning grand slam -- the second of her career -- in the seventh inning against USF and followed with a three-run shot in her first plate appearance the next day against Illinois State. Alexander owns 12 long balls and 55 RBI in her collegiate career.
• Freshman right-handed pitcher Alex Storako posted a 3-1 record, earning all but one decision, in her first collegiate tournament. Her first win came in a relief -- a six-strikeout, hitless three innings in the season opener against North Carolina State. In all, she recorded a 2.33 earned-run average with 18 strikeouts and a .167 opposing average through 15 innings pitched.
• All six Michigan freshmen made their collegiate debuts at the USF Opening Weekend Invitational. In addition to Blair, freshman Morgan Overaitis and Grace Chelemen earned their first collegiate hits -- Overaitis boasted three hits and three RBI -- while Hannah Carson tallied her first collegiate RBI.
